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April 1, 2022

Anna Murray 

On March 31, the Canadian Supreme Court condemned Richard Vallières, the ringleader of the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, to six years in prison. Vallières was convicted of fraud, human trafficking, and theft in 2016. He is currently serving a prison term of seven years and 10 months for his role in the heist of $17.8 million worth of syrup between 2011 and 2012.

The theft was discovered during a routine check in summer 2012, when an inspector nearly tripped over a stack of roughly 270 kg (595 lbs) maple syrup barrels. Some barrels were found to be empty, while others that had been drained of syrup had been refilled with water. More than 20 people involved in the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist were apprehended in December of 2012.

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (FPAQ) discovered that a warehouse in St-Louis-de-Blandford in a small town northeast of Montreal had been emptied of $17.8 million worth of maple syrup, or 9,571 barrels out of 16,224.

The Canadian Supreme Court unanimously ruled Richard Vallières must pay the multi-million dollar fine, overturning a lower court decision that only punished him $800,000 (1 million Canadian dollars).